


Pride

by catsukii



Category: Free!
Genre: Drabble, Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Short & Sweet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-13
Updated: 2020-04-13
Packaged: 2021-03-02 04:21:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 11,130
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23629177
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/catsukii/pseuds/catsukii
Summary: He's the captain of the Samezuka Swim Club and you were lucky enough to call him yours... or was it the other way around?
Relationships: Matsuoka Rin/Reader
Comments: 2
Kudos: 73





	1. Chapter 1

**calls you cute**

You'd been studying in his dorm when he came back from practice. Of course, you would've greeted him and acknowledged him but you couldn't let your boyfriend distract you from the cramming session you'd committed yourself to for two hours now.

There were so many times where you could've stepped out of the chair to take three steps back and fallen back onto the bed that was full of the mans scent but you restrained yourself amazingly. So you knew you couldn't let his entrance distract you now. 

He, also took note of this and he surprisingly didn't say anything. He saw you, carried his bag in and locked the door behind him, without a word. You were a little shocked and you almost stopped writing but you recomposed yourself. He dropped the bag beside his bed gently as to not cause any disruptions for you and damn it was hard to not turn around and leap on him because of how sweet he was. It was the smallest act, he probably didn't even realise how much it meant to you but you were still so glad to have him.

It made you realise how lucky you were. You heard the bed sheets moving slightly and you knew he had taken a seat on the bed, he breathed out a long sigh. You knew he was tired because normally, he'd be right next to you as he began sweet-talking in your ear. He would usually kiss your neck and your wrist as your head was leaning on it or he'd even go as far as nibbling it a little just so he could have the satisfaction of getting your attention.

The books were all over each other in front of you, papers were piling on each other filled with notes from your own hands and from other students who were kind enough to lend them to you, they knew how much you suffered in class and took pity on you. Luckily for you, you took advantage of their pity to gain their notes.

You had a test on social studies tomorrow and the thought of sitting in that class for an hour, head down with a pen in hand just sounded exhausting; like a complete waste of time. Rin knew how much you hated this but beyond that, he knew how much you needed those good results too.

You heard the bed again and the cramps in your wrist caused a scowl to come across your face, the pain in your wrist and the indent of the pen in your finger made you frown as your back was in pain too and it distracted you from the maroon-haired male that had approached you from behind. 

He'd been looking down at the work you were doing from behind your chair and just when you were about to reach the peak of your 'I can't do this anymore' you felt him dip down, scaring you before you froze at his words.

"Don't work too hard, cutie."

You would've answered in a normal or nonchalant way if it wasn't for that cute term of endearment he called you. It wasn't like, 'babe,' or 'hot stuff,' like the things he always called you. He spoke with a soft voice, evidence that he was tired was all too clear and he was without his guard, completely soft and without worries around you, you adored it.

He expected you to rebuttal with something fast and witty, frowning defiantly as you boasted about how hard you were working and how you were _sure_ it would pay off so he didn't expect you to turn around with tears in your eyes and a huge frown, lifting your wrist in a way that you'd hold it up as a result of an injury. He frowned though his eyes were shining when he leaned down next to you, almost tempted to laugh at the face you made, "Rin~... my hand.. hurts.."

He acknowledged your pink cheeks and smiled, his pointy teeth making an appearance as he grabbed you wrist and pulled it gently to his lips, kissing your skin slowly whilst never taking his ruby eyes off of you. He was so sweet and adorable that you could help show him your finger too, "And.. here.." He chuckled and kissed your finger too, even going as far as kissing the next finger and the next.

"You're such a cutie.." He couldn't help muttering under his breath when you brought your hand back to yourself and he didn't see the way your lips pulled upwards instantly, you almost lost your composure and leapt on him before he stood again, "Come on babe, let's take a shower then I'll help you finish your studying."


	2. Chapter 2

**gives you the cutest smiles**

The final bell rang at Iwatobi High and you followed your friends after having left the class. You listened to them chat as you held your bag and walked towards your show locker so that you could swap your indoor shoes for the ones you bring to school every morning, one of your friends almost had the chance to ask if you wanted to go to a really cute, new cafe that recently opened but when your other friend saw the two males standing at the school gates, they smirked and answered for you, "[Name] can't go, her _boyfriend's_ waiting."

Your eyes caught sight of the two boys, one had been watching the schools entrance as the maroon-haired male stood leaning against the gate with his bag hanging off of his shoulder whilst looking away from you, you smiled at the sight of him as your friends giggled and you noticed other students questioning who they were too. You couldn't clearly see his face, but by the way Rin's cheeks were slightly tinted a rosy colour, you could tell he was hesitant on standing their and ready to leave the second he saw you, "How did they get here so fast?"

You didn't know how to answer initially, smiling as you spoke, "Guess I should take my leave, bye-bye!" You sped up and waved them off when your voice caught Rin's attention, he turned around and his hair moved over his face as his eyes founds yours and your smile brightened just as his lips pulled up as if done subconsciously, "Sousuke, hey!"

Sousuke nodded towards you smiling a little as his turquoise-coloured eyes then shifted to his best friend, "Rin wouldn't shut up about hurrying to pick you up."

"Oi!" Rin glared at him and you giggled, catching Rin's eyes as he stared when you grabbed his hand, "That's so sweet, Rin~ did you miss me?"

He huffed and turned away from you, tightening his grip on your hand as the three of you began walking down the path to head home, both Sousuke and Rin lived in their schools dorms but Rin always preferred leaving his school building to walk you home. Sousuke joined as he was also your friend, the both of them always took good care of you.

Rin held you hand and he moved it so that he could put both of your entwined hands in his pocket while he grabbed your school bag, he was quiet even after not denying what his taller friend said and you took that moment to admire the side of his face. His lips were so tempting and his eyes were glowing in the sunlight, his hair fell around him perfectly and you almost hated the fact that any candid photograph taken of him would undoubtedly be perfect.

"I don't know why I come with you guys sometimes.." Sousuke broke the silence and both of you looked at him, Rin smirked as you watched with a curious gaze, "You didn't have to, right?" You stopped and then corrected yourself, "I-I mean, not that I don't want you to be here, cause you're my friend too b-but- you know.." Awkwardness filled you when you glanced away with burning cheeks as the brunette chuckled for a second before answering, nudging the captain of the swim team with playful eyes, "No, I get it but it's just that _this guy_ can't go and wait for his girlfriend by himself."

You smiled, eyes widening as Rin's eyes widened as well, " _Rin~!_ " You almost equaled out of happiness and Rin didn't even look at you, "Shut up..." You hugged his arm closer to you, enjoying the warmth it provided your face when the tip of your nose was growing cold, "You're the cutest boyfriend." You spoke with a sudden seriousness that caused the normally composed and 'annoyed' boy to smile to himself, "You're so annoying.."

A giggle escaped your mouth and you admired the smile on his face though he wasn't looking you way. Because of this, you leaned forward so that you could see his whole face. He looked confused for a moment and the expression on his face made your chest warm as you smiled. He furrowed his brows and muttered, "What're you doing, idiot." 

"Admiring my gorgeous boyfriend."

Your words shocked him and he didn't expect an answer like that to escape your mouth so quickly, he turned pink and then realised how warm he was turning when you fingers tightened on his hand in his pocket, "Sh-shut up!"

You laughed and as Sousuke walked in front, he laughed too and the entire way you silently admired the cute smile that couldn't be wiped off of Rin's face because of what you'd said despite how embarrassing it was.


	3. Chapter 3

**can't sleep without you in his arms**

It was late at night when you got a text, it wasn't enough to wake you until you received another a couple of minutes later,

_'oi'_

_'are you awake?'_

The warmth of you bed was almost enough to lull you back to sleep and the darkness surrounding you almost allowed you to believe you were dreaming or perhaps you only thought you had gotten a text but you really didn't. It didn't make you angry like you thought it would because when the time on your phone read, _'12:23am',_ you were beyond happy because you still had so much sleep ahead of you.

But, reading the time and partially damaging your eyes from the brightness, you saw the notifications from your boyfriend. You wondered what it could be while allowing your eyes to finally adjust to the light and then sloppily opened the text messages just as another was sent.

_'I'm outside, come here'_

_'please'_

Your brows furrowed and a sigh left your mouth, sitting up in the bed to assure you didn't accidentally fall back asleep and then you switched the torch on on your phone to lighten up your room so you could guide your way to the front door, yawning as you sloppily found the door handle and slid it carefully to put your slippers on and you close the door behind you, "Baby."

The voice didn't startle you like it would with anyone else, hearing a sudden word in the darkness as it was also the dead of night would scare anyone but the tiredness in his voice calmed you, it guided you to him when you saw him standing in front of your driveway with a blanket over him, Rin lifted his arms out and you could see his black tank top from the mild light of the street light as his eyes cored into yours. You didn't waste a moment to walk into him, feeling his breathing even out as his arms then tightened around you and you didn't speak a word as he did, "Were you sleeping?"

You nodded and opened your mouth to reply before a yawn stopped you, you saw the way his face twisted into one of regret before you shook your head at him, "Let's go... I'm alright."

He nodded, secretly beyond happy that you said to go, you didn't object to going with him at 12:30 in the morning so that he could walk you to his school, you didn't question why he woke you up and took you away from your bed to leave right away and you went with him, he felt so blessed to have you. He didn't know how he managed without you before he met you, "You're okay?"

He heard your soft voice, almost a broken whisper and he didn't hesitate to pull you into him, half carrying your weight as you threatened to fall asleep again despite walking in the middle of the street now, "I.. I just couldn't sleep."

"It wasn't a bad dream or something?" Luckily for both of you, you didn't live that far away from Samezuka Academy and it was an easy trip to get their and back. Despite the building being an all-boy school, many of the students and competitors of the swim team were aware that you'd come in the night to sleep in Rin's dorm. They assisted in keeping it from teachers and Nitori Aiichiro, despite being in the top bunk whilst Rin and yourself slept on the bottom, never had a problem with it as he also knew that his captain had minor sleeping problems. He always kept it to himself and you knew Rin was at least a little bit grateful.

"Nah, I just couldn't sleep." His reply was earnest yet silent, more than a whisper and you noticed the way his steps quickened when finally reaching his school. He hurried you in before him and you walked all the way yet still tucked in the blanket he held around you. He was going faster and breathed out, nudging the top of your head with his nose softly when you opened the door gently and noticed the body on the top bunk of the two. 

You stepped in as Rin closed the door, locking it while you went to the bed and crawled on it, softly burying your face in the pillows while bringing your arms and legs closer to your body for heat, the blanket Rin held was then placed on you as he sat next to you, he silently placed the thick blanket on the bed, more of it on your side while you laid next to the wall and he made sure all of your skin was covered. As you breathed in the scent of your boyfriend, you didn't know how elated Rin was at the blurred sight of you relaxing peacefully in his bed as it was so dark. He could just make out the shape of you, almost pulling smile when he lowered himself into he sheets and scooted himself closer to you.

As he sighed in relief, he felt the side of his lips pull up when you practically placed your entire body right into his side as you faced him. He turned himself towards you while you hugged your arm around his muscular waist, his toned arm coming around you as it tightened around you and you kissed the only thing in front of you when your eyes closed.

Your lips met his chest, above his shirt and he reciprocated the action by pointing his lips down so they met your forehead, his lips touched your skin, just blow your hairline and without warning, you leaned up to place a soft and gentle kiss on his lips as he almost didn't have enough time to kiss you back. His arm rubbed your waist to make you warmer and you spoke as your lips strayed on his, breathing softly through your nose when he heard you, felt the light vibrations on his own lips, "Goodnight, Rin."


	4. Chapter 4

**have picnics together**

He'd been in a sour mood ever since catching sight of Haru and Makoto walking home together when he went to Iwatobi to pick you up again. It was Saturday now but you supposed something had been triggered in his mind for him to be in a bad mood for a whole day. It somewhat worried you but you knew your strong boyfriend would persevere as long as you treaded carefully. 

You liked to hope that anything you said could at least help him cheer up but you were also frightened because of your inadequacy to fully comprehend the relationship between Haru and Rin. You knew they were childhood best friends, swimming together in their swim club until Rin left for Australia. You also knew that Rin felt absolutely hopeless against the Australian swimmers, it was nothing like how he felt when he swam with his best friend.

Haru and Makoto, they had each other but now they were always together while Rin went to another school that held a lot of focus towards competitive swimming. Of course, Rin had Sousuke and yourself but it wasn't really the same. You couldn't help but feeling unqualified to reassure him that it would soon turn out okay so that's why you went to his dorm at eight in the morning, knocking on his door before waiting a short while.

You expected Nitori-kun to answer until the door slowly opened for you to grace your eyes on Rin. He had his signature black tank top and sweats on too. His face was twisted into one of annoyance and you smiled, getting him as you admired his bed hair, messy and untamed yet so gorgeous anyway.

"[Name]?"

"Morning, Rin-chan~!" You stepped inside as he moved to let you in, he rubbed his hair as he watched you confused before his eyes widened, "Am I missing something? Did we have a date?" You smirked and nodded mischievously, "Yes but I guess you forgot, it's alright then-" He was silenced into submission and you neared him as his eyes held worry as he almost opened his mouth to apologise, "You can make it up to me by getting changed, we're going out!"

He raised a single brow, "Huh..?"

His lips turned down and you smiled again, shrugging your shoulders in a cute manner as he watched you, "It's-" He looked at the clock on his desk, ".. Eight." 

"I know! The sun is up and so am I! Let's go, I've got food." You raised the basket in your hand, your hands tightening on the handle from the weight and Rin looked down to finally acknowledge it. He sighed and walked towards his drawers as you leaned the basket on the desk beside you so you didn't have to carry the whole weight for a short moment. He ripped off his tank top and opened his drawer to get out a shirt, he turned to look at the basket again in wonder before he caught your eyes.

"Hey.." You looked up at his face after shamelessly staring at his torso, "You know Ai isn't coming back here for a while... We'll be all alone." He smirked at you, showing off his pointed teeth and your mind almost short-circuited as your face had surely turned red, you gaped and sputtered, embarrassed at the way Rin smiled at you as he had caught you ogling at his body as he knew you were not thinking innocent things.

"You must've been thinking of something pretty dirty to get so flustered, huh, cutie?" He became smug, holding the shirt in his hand instead of putting it on and you turned away, "N-n-n-no, you're not going to s-seduce me into staying here with you, we're having a picnic!"

"Ehh... A picnic?" His face dropped and you pouted, "Yes, hurry up." You saw the way his eyes rolled and you huffed, "If you don't want to then I'll just go-"

"No!"

You had turned around and stopped at his sudden yell, you didn't see the face you made and he continued when you didn't make any indications that you were going to leave, "I'll go, just let me change quickly..."

You stayed silent, smiling as he wasn't aware, "And I'm not going cause I feel like I have to... I want to go."

Rin had taken the basket from you when he noticed how it seemed to be slowing you down, he didn't question the weight of it when he saw the way you beamed at him when you both finally reached the park. He walked towards a bench without looking to where you had gone off to when he suddenly heard your voice, "Rin, over here!"

You were standing on the grass, a couple of flowers sprouting beside your legs and the sun lit up your hair, your smiling was so pretty and Rin didn't move until couple of seconds later, as the slight breeze blew your hair and he walked to you slowly while looking at the ground below you, "There's a bench over there."

"We're sitting on the floor, it's a picnic." You spoke stubbornly and your eyes hardened when you neared him, chest to chest when you watched his cheeks go pink as he looked around due to your sudden change in behaviour. You stared up at him and smiled, "I've got a blanket for your highness, we don't have to sit on the dirt." You winked and he frowned, "Whatever."

You grabbed the blanket from the basket and laid it out as he took the opportunity to look inside the basket, he was discouraged to go when he saw huge bentos tied in tea towels to hold them together. You took the basket from him and placed it down, taking your shoes off to put them on the edge of the blanket as you sat and opened the basket.

He sighed down at you and then did the same in a reluctant manner, feeling odd for doing something that just wasn't him, he'd take a chance if it was for you though. You took out the bentos, unwrapped them and took them apart while Rin sat before you, crossing his legs and slouching his back like a lazy child.

Despite his childish behaviour, you still smiled in accomplishment and laid out a container of rice, one of meat and another of small sausages in the shape of cute octopus. There was something vegetables too and also rice balls for the both of you, "Don't just sit there, honey, I made these all for you."

He looked up from the food and saw you, he admired the expression on your face as you turned pink a little, refusing to make eye contact and he picked up a pair of chopsticks, he didn't say anything and took a sausage, eating it as he looked at the vegetables and took some of that too.

He ate some rice next, embarrassed when he took note of the peas on the rice shaped into a heart, "Well?"

You watched him eat, staring as he ate everything without a comment being made on the contents you made, "Well what?" He swallowed and you gestured to the food, "Well is it good or what?!"

He raised a brow at your exasperated voice as you shook with nerves, "I stayed up late to make this, is it good?!" He took in some more rice as his ruby eyes remained on you, silently and you pouted. You stopped and rolled your eyes when you leaned forward, "Come 'ere." 

"Huh?"

You shocked him by rubbing your finger against the side of his lips, he turned red again and you smiled despite not having your question answered but it was enough that he was eating your food, right? It didn't look like he was forcing himself either. 

"D-don't do embarrassing stuff like that!" He snapped at you and you laughed, eating the rice you'd gotten from his lips as he stared at your finger in horror. You grabbed your own chopsticks and grabbed some meat first, eating it with a small smile when you heard him though he refused to make eye contact as he admittedly muttered under his breath, shoving more food into his mouth after so he didn't have to repeat himself, "It tastes good, thanks.."

"I'm glad."


	5. Chapter 5

**takes a a lot of silly photos of you**

He was bored and there was nothing he felt the energy to do so it made him feel even more lazy. School finished and he had yet to change out of his uniform with Sousuke by his side as they walked outside of the school grounds. The two childhood friends went to the convenient store and relaxed outside and just as Rin grabbed out his phone to question your whereabouts, you silhouette appeared in the distance.

He didn’t know it was you at first before he narrowed his eyes on you. You’d been walking right towards him down the street with earphones in your ears, music playing as your head was bobbing along to the beat.

You hadn’t noticed him yet and while he still had his phone, he smirked and opened the camera app. He pointed the camera to you and Sousuke took notice of the new person approaching, “Hey, isn’t tha-“

“Yeah.” Rin answered quickly, without hesitation when he held the phone still while the brunette noticed his friend kept zooming in onto your face without your knowledge. Once he had your face covering his screen, he snapped picture after picture with a playful smirk on his face.

He didn’t stop to check the photos until you finally noticed him. Your eyes widened before the widest face broke out on your face and Rin paused for a moment when his breath hitched.

He didn’t expect you to pull off such an adorable face when seeing _him_ and he didn’t realise he had stopped before you suddenly broke out into a short and quick jog, not wanting to waste another moment not being in his arms when you both coincidentally found each other in such a _normal_ place.

He snapped more pictures now and he frowned inwardly at the sound of Sousuke’s chuckling when noticing his friends flustered reaction to his girlfriend but Rin ignored him when you finally realised what he was doing and raised two frightened hands to hide your face from the camera, your whiny voice meeting his ears while also making his lips simultaneously turn upwards,

“Rin~! Stop!”

You hurried to reach him and he didn’t stop snapping pictures of your face, “That's enough..” Your voice lowered to a whine and then you practically dove onto him to try and attempt to get the phone back. He dodged your attempts, laughing to himself as you seemed to pathetically fall onto him with a whine.

He thought it was undeniably cute.

“What’s wrong? Y-You,” he paused when you almost swiped him by accident, he chuckled at you, “I’m just taking some gorgeous pictures of my girlfriend~” He teased and you frowned, taking a seat beside him defeatedly, “Let me see..”

He pridefully opened his camera roll and your mouth dropped when you saw so many of the same photos, zoomed into your face when you hadn’t been paying attention, “Rin, delete them~... They look so gross.” You looked away and stared at Sousuke, frowning even further, “Why didn’t you do anything, Sousuke?” He couldn’t help smiling at your slouched state, “Hey, I tried.”

“Not hard enough!”

“Hey, don’t yell at Sou,-“ He broke into a laughing fit when he swiped to a picture of you, zoomed right into your face so there was literally nothing else in the picture and you had been singing. Your lips were twisted into an awkward position when your lips had been forming the lyrics without noticing your boyfriend taking the picture.

You huffed, crossing your arms before you while pouting and Rin noticed, nudging you for your attention as he wasn’t entirely sure how upset you were and yet he started laughing _again._ You’d been looking around, anywhere but at your maroon-haired boyfriend before an idea suddenly caused you to freeze.

You couldn’t help the smirk growing on your face and then you reached over to gently grab Rin’s arm. He was cautious, still holding his phone away from you before your soft lips on his cheek made him stop, feeling butterflies in his stomach before you started whispering.

“If you delete those photos, I’ll send you better ones tonight...” 

Rin swore he had goosebumps all over from the sound of your sultry voice and the way your light breath tickled his ear and his neck, he had frozen and when he finally came to, he was already going through to delete the pictures he’d taken.

“You better keep your word..” He muttered out, his face turning the colour of his hair.


	6. Chapter 6

**motivated when you watch him swim**

After school practices were probably Rin’s favourite after school activities. Besides going on dates with you, but he still liked this better - sort of. Usually it was only you but today was the day Haru and himself had set up the joined swim practice. The Iwatobi swim club would soon be joining Rin and his team mates at his school and he had to make sure no one would slack off just because they were having visitors.

He still had to show Haru who was better and what better way to do it then to have his own adorable girlfriend cheering him on?

He’d been stretching by the side of the pool after leaving the changing rooms. Ai followed closely when Momo had sped past him to eagerly stretch as the captain sighed, “Momo, what’re you a child? Don’t run around the damn pool.” Rin brought a hand to his red locks and breathed out in exasperation when Momo obeyed, appearing innocent and cheeky.

“Yes, Captain!”

Ai neared the first year and Rin minded his business until he heard Momo, “Hey, Ai, you think Gou is gonna come to? I wanna show her my awesome backstroke!”

“That’s my sister you’re talking about!”

“Brother~!”

Rin stilled and furrowed his brow as his sister yelled for him so suddenly as he watched her leap towards him, the swim team behind her as they all had their eyes on whatever had caught their interest.

“Hey, Haru,” Rin acknowledged his friend and then greeted the other boys too before nodding towards the changing rooms, “We’re ready to get started, you guys can go change.” He was already wearing his tight swim shorts and no shirt when the boys left and then he finally realised the lack of someone greeting him with a kiss rather than a ‘hello.’

“Gou, where’s.. where’s [Name]?” His hand lifted to meet with the necklace you’d bought him a while ago, twisting it in his fingers.

She’d been drooling over the shirtless males as her face grew pink, snapping out of it just as Rin caught her and before he could scold her for being so obvious and weird, she answered, “She was on after school clean-up duty, I insisted on helping her but she was stubborn she could do it on her own and meet us here.”

Gou’s expression turned almost teasing as she stared at her older brother adorning the same coloured hair as herself, “Sorry~”

She smiled but her lips dropped when a familiar boy almost had her leaping in her spot, “Gou! You’re so cute today, not that you aren’t any other time i see you, or even when I don’t see you!”

Momo’s bright, golden eyes were trained on the girl as she smiled nervously, eager to get away before her brother got even more crankier as his girlfriend; whom he was expecting the first to be there, wasn’t and when his kouhai thought it would be okay to flirt with his little sister.

“Momo, get in the pool! 10 laps!”

And instead of getting a surprised yet saddened reply, like he wanted, Rin received an eager salute, “Yes sir, Captain!”

He dived in and Rin stood by as Haru came out, Makoto trailing behind and Nagisa skipping as Rei followed close behind. The four looked at the pool again, adoring the size and just as Rin opened his mouth, Haru had already dived in without a word, “Ha-Haru!”

He didn’t listened and he let himself be consumed by the clear water as Rin muttered obscenities under his breath, Sousuke showing up behind him as he had calmly guiding himself in one of the spare lanes in the water as a pre workout.

The taller brunette chuckled under his breath at Rin’s poor attempt at looking okay as the person he wanted to be there, wasn’t, “Don’t look so down, Rin, she’ll be here soon. Isn’t that what Gou said?”

The latter frowned and nodded, straightening up after a moment when he clapped his hands to get his team mates attention, “All right, practice is commencing and all you gotta remember is; the fast one wins. Everyone focus of their respective strokes and attempt to beat your fastest times.”

Iwatobi had been listening too, as well as the third year girl by the entrance of the pools when the boys readied their stances at the edge of the pool on the diving block. Rin stood back with Sousuke by his side, Haru on the other side as the sapphire eyed boy would be racing beside his ruby eyed friend.

But alas, Rin hadn’t felt the unwavering stare of the newcomer and hence he didn’t feel as great when he couldn’t see her encouraging smile or hear her motivational words; even if it was only just practise.

He was up next, he’d been watching Ai and Momo and all the others too, yelling out words of encouragement so they would win as it was the sole principle of Samezuka and he moved the goggles from the top of his head and placed them over his eyes comfortably, got into position and ready to take a dive that started from the tips of his toes. 

He glanced at Haru, the latter had also looked at him and he smirked, one that he knew would’ve certainly gotten you flustered and Haru had already adjusted the goggles over his eyes when he so eagerly wanted to get into the water again, swimming freely and with no restraints.

You had finished your class clean up quickly just so you could be there in time and you were. You made your way to the bleachers and Gou spotted you, perking up and opening her mouth with a wide smile before you shushed her quickly, “[Na-“

“Hey, Gou, how’re the boys?”

Your haste question threw her off before she answered without a hitch, “Oh, they’re alright. Haru just wants to get in the water - as usual. But Rei looks particularly determined, in a way.”

You almost answered before Sousukes’ voice cut you off and drew your attention to them, Rin was lagging behind, his feet choppy in the water as Haru practically flowed ahead of him without any troubles.

“Come on, Rin!”

You stood and noticed the face he was pulling every time his face exited the water to take in the needed oxygen, it was scrunched and you could probably deduce that he was getting frustrated, panicked, even.

“Rin, you’re better than this!” You couldn’t help the words slipping from your mouth and the Samezuka boys were a little less than surprised when an Iwatobi girl cheered for the oppositions captain against her own team.

You knew he heard your voice though, and that’s all you were focused on when Rin almost stopped yet, he didn’t. He kept going and his arms cut through the water causing minimal splash and extra speed when he pushed himself even further. He began speeding up and you stood from the bleacher to head towards the end of the pool where the finish line was of the 100m freestyle.

You crouched down to the side of the diving block and ignored the cold water that caused your shins and palms to get wet when you noticed Sousuke smiling down at you appreciatively, “Say it again, he’s been moping since he found out you weren’t here.”

You happily obliged after rolling your eyes at your boyfriends childish antics and spoke up when they reached the last twenty-five metre mark, “Come on, baby!”

He heard you again, his face wasn’t as angered or at a loss when he hurried to catch up to his child hood friend who was also incredibly fast and bearing closer to the finish line. 

The smile couldn’t be wiped from your face when the way he splashed in the water, lightly caused you to get wet and then he touched the finish line with a satisfied laugh, breathing heavy from the swim as his name appeared first on the screen as Haru ended up right behind him.

Haru said nothing, enjoying the way the water fell from his fingers as he removed the goggled and Rin did the same, smiling as the male outside the pool read out his time. Rin’s grin widened as he caught your eyes, lovingly, “That’s... really close to my personal.. best.”

He was taking deep breath to calm his previously irregular breaths and you smiled down at him as he looked up at you and his eyes brightened when you breathed out, softly, “I should’ve been here sooner then, huh?”

He chuckled and you mirrored his actions as his hand found yours on the edge of the pool, “Of course, you have to cheer me on. You’re my motivation to keep going.”

Perhaps it was the thrill of the win despite it being a practise or maybe it was because of he was so close to beating his personal time but he surprised you when he didn’t stutter or turn away from you when he said something so corny, so adorable. You were the one who actually turned pink and he didn’t let you speak when he raised himself up to let his lips crash into yours.

Haru floated on top of the water, trying to ignore the words being passed between the two of you when he muttered underneath his breath, “You’re supposed to cheer on your own team..”


	7. Chapter 7

**family dinners with Gou**

It was only supposed to be Rin and yourself, he specified that and you said that you understood. He was excited to have you all to himself. To treat you to dinner and walk with you, able to hold your hand and talk nonsense as he made you laugh while you made him blush. He only allowed it to happen with you and he _specified_ that he only wanted to have you to himself.

He had been studying for tests while you had been helping Gou, Haru and Makoto with their club as Nagisa and Rei also asked for your help in their studies. It surprised you when Rei asked along side the smaller blonde boy but you were glad to help when Nagisa claimed Rei wasn’t good at teaching because he didn’t understand anything.

You couldn’t help laughing when Nagisa imitated Rei, which led to him stealing the taller boys glasses to copy his voice and facial expressions as he recited the words that Rei had told him, _‘your notes are simply not beautiful, why should I help you?’_

You couldn’t help noticing the slight similarity between Rei and a tall, blonde salty boy who you had the slight displeasure of knowing from another school when he quickly rejected to other first years in assisting to their studies.

Alas, the time spent helping the boys meant less time with your beloved and grumpy boyfriend and when he found you walking to him with another person by his side, he was a little less than pleased.

“Gou, go home.”

He didn’t waste a breathe when you smiled up at him, dismissing his frown and when he spoke, she whined as you giggled to yourself, “Rin, I told her to come.”

He looked down at you with an accusing glare, though it wasn’t as harsh as the glare his sister received, oddly enough, “What?” 

Gou nodded at your words and seemed to prove it by interlocking her arm with yours as you welcomed the actions, he watched her arm with a clear frown when she spoke, “Brother, you know [Name] and I are best friends at school!” 

Her voice was loud and before he could turn away and grumble nothings under his breathe, she continued, “And besides, isn’t it good that we get along so well? She’s going to be my sister-in-law, anyway.”

You almost gaped at her, feeling your cheeks turn warm as you knew they had gone red while Rin froze, unable to meet your eyes as his own cheeks turned the colour of his bright eyes. He coughed and turned away without a word, neither denying nor approving of his devious sisters words.

The ramen restaurant was warm, perfect as the chilly breeze outside forced you to cling onto Rin’s side for heat while his sisters did the same thing to you, not that you minded. Whenever there was a silence between the three of you, Rin could count on his sister to make it _not_ silent around you but you didn’t mind unlike the taller boy.

In the restaurant, the three of you went into a booth as the menu was spread out before Gou while she sat on the other side of Rin and yourself.

Rin almost managed to lose you to his sister so he would be seated by himself but he’d rather go to his dorm and let Ai talk his ear off than let that happen; hence why he managed to grab you by the wrist and pull you next to him so his sister could pout and whine to him.

You laughed, a warm feeling blooming in your chest as you consoled Gou with words Rin wasn’t exactly fond with, _‘don’t worry, Gou, we’ll go on a date next time!’_ And so, underneath the table, Rin relaxed himself by slipping his hand into yours and interlocking his fingers with yours while you happily invited it, giddy at the small display of affection as Gou chose what she wanted on the menu.

“I feel like ramen, shrimp ramen? Oh, but I need to watch my figur-“

You practically gaped and Rin felt the small squeeze on his hand as you leaned forward causing him to listen to you attentively, “Gou, honey, if you need to watch _your_ figure then I shouldn’t even be eating.” 

She almost replied when you furrowed your brows, still disbelieving to what she’d said, “Please don’t say anything like that again, you’re actually really beautiful, okay?”

She couldn’t help smiling and Rin squeezed your hand this time, repeating the words you said so easily and he couldn’t help smiling as he noticed his little sister smiling wider now, deciding on the ramen with a side of dumplings. You glanced at him, smiling and he pulled you into him so there was no space between the two of you when you curled into his warmth, “[Name]-chan.. you’re such a good friend~!” She whined at you and you smiled at her gratefully as she flipped the menu over to your side, asking what you were going to order, 

“Me? Oh, nothing.”

Rin raised a single brow and sat forward almost intimidatingly, “Excuse m-“

“I’m kidding!” You laughed out loud and Rin breathed out through his nose, almost as if he was warning you to watch what you said when Gou had giggled too, “What about you, Rin?”

He glanced at the menu for a second before shrugging shortly, leaning and making himself comfortable against the cushioned seats in the booth, “Whatever you’re having.”

Hence why the two of you had gotten a chicken ramen dish while Gou ogled the shrimp ramen before her. The three of you spoke in sync, “Itadakimasu,” and Rin noticed the way you immediately moved all of the vegetables to the side to get the good stuff below.

He raised a brow, picking some of his own vegetables from his plate to drop it into yours, you gaped and frowned in disbelief, “Rin! If you don’t want it, don’t give it to me!” He smirked, his pointed teeth coming into view as he slurped a single strand of ramen, “You better not be thinking you can eat it all and leave the vegetables.”

“... Feed it to me and I’ll eat it.”

He froze and you smirked at his reaction, knowing full well that Gou had been hiding a smile behind her hand as she held it there to prevent the flavoured water in the bowl from accidentally spilling away from her bowl. He was flustered, aware that his sister was listening with her full attention and he sighed, feeling as if he couldn’t help it.

Yet he also felt slight butterflies when he didn’t answer and did what you said, slowly.

You watched in amazement as he used his chopstick to reach over into your bowl and initially you thought he was just going to get his own veggies back before he timidly raised them to your mouth, your breath hitched and you opened wide with a grin, “Ahh~”

You heard a picture being snapped and your eyes snapped to Gou as she held her phone in front of her' biting her lip to keep her smile to a minimum as her brothers cheeks were so pink, “Dammit, Gou!”

He snapped at her and you laughed when she gave you a thumbs up, “Rin, you’re so adorable! I love you!” He lo9ed at you after glaring at his sister and breathed out in frustration, unable to stay mad when you spoke so sweetly and earnest, especially after speaking those three words.

“.. Yeah, yeah, love you too- whatever, just eat your food!” He raised his voice, becoming impatient and then you noticed Gou was already half way through her food as you muttered toward her, “Send that to me, okay?”

She nodded and cleared her throat to speak up again, changing to conversation when your hand found Rin’s under the table again after instinctively letting go when the food arrived, “I’m full.. I have homework, shall we go home?” She was grabbing her school bag as you almost copied before you felt Rin squeeze your hand lightly, making you unable to move with her, “I asked my girlfriend to come and now you think we’re all leaving? You’re going home, she,” he gestured to you without looking down at you, “Is staying with me.”

She smiled obediently and waved towards the two of you as she left before her older brother could notice something that you did, smirking as you almost laughed aloud, “She left us to pay for her food.”

“Dammit, Gou!”


	8. Chapter 8

**gentle and sweet kisses**

It started on your fingers, the light hadn't managed to seep into the quiet room yet and as a result, you managed to stay within your slumber despite growing increasingly aware of the fact that you were waking up even if you didn't want to. 

It didn't help when there was a consistent pair of lips on your fingers either. They strayed there as you wallowed in the warmth of the thick blankets that aided in keeping the cold from touching your skin. A significant source of heat always stayed neared you, always making sure to keep in contact with your body but you were beginning to come to in regards to finally remembering what it was when you smelled that specific scent.

The scent subconsciously lowered your walls and made you completely vulnerable for them, unaware of what he was doing or what he was thinking but at least you knew who the person was that was laying butterfly kisses over your palm now. He leaned your open palm against his smooth cheek, the heat of his skin making your fingers curl over his jaw and his lips even further.

Feeling the pull of his lips, your fingers unknowingly trailed over his lips and he responded by kissing them also. He didn't say anything but it was more than okay when you were still half gone and half here with him. Your hand had fallen from his grasp and he breathed slowly, making himself comfortable on the bed whilst in the sheets as he tried to move as quietly as he could while still breathing peacefully on your arm.

His breath came near until it stopped when his kisses landed on your forearm, moving up. He took a good look at your gentle face and his kisses repeated more and more as he made it up to your elbow, kissing but nothing more and nothing less.

The gentle atmosphere could've aided in making you fall asleep again if not for the ruby-eyed angel, waking you up in the best way possible. But he never stopped and you wondered how far he'd go, trailing his lips - not kissing the skin, instead just dragging his bottom lip, almost seductively - up to your shoulder when you turned your head towards him, almost smiling but you didn't know what he saw when you kept your eyes closed.

He responded by lightly nudging his forehead with your own and you felt his hair touch you skin with a feather-like touch, causing your lips to pucker a little just as his short, sudden breath fanned over your chin as he seemed to find the moment humorous. Nonetheless, as a result, your head turned away from him and you almost felt the smug look in his eyes that he directed at you lovingly and his kisses continued.

Gentle, innocent and holding so much raw affection, his kisses splayed onto your collarbone and you realised that he wanted you to move your head so as to create more kissing space for him. You couldn't help smiling now, feeling your cheeks lift to accommodate for the smile that he didn't see when his nose rubbed against you neck, his lips trailing up your jaw, behind your ear as he nibbled your ear lobe slowly, sensually but not in a way that suggested sexual intentions. It was quiet, gentle and loving. Sweet and beautiful.

His kisses turned playful, he knew you were completely aware of what was happening now, his smile was infectious and he chuckled lowly, his voice raspy and causing a chill to arise when you begged your mind to memorise that sound for all eternity. His lips laid sloppy kisses on your cheek, lowering to your chin and missing your ready lips when he moved further up the bed and closer to you, his lips puckered on your other cheek, repeating the same actions when they landed up to your temple.

He kissed your forehead, his kisses having lost their innocent and graceful elegance when he couldn't stop smiling now, they were playful and almost cheeky as his boyish nature finally showed in the early hours of the mornings and you revelled in the moment, wishing it could never end when his lips removed themselves from your skin so he could lower them to the shell of your ear, "Morning, princess."

You hummed in answer, ecstatic internally when goosebumps formed on your arms at the feeling of his lips moving on your skin, his low and tired voice whispered into your ear with no one around to interrupt or pop the bubble surrounding the two of you. And all you had to say was one word, you spoke and your voice sounded odd; clouded with sleep, but he couldn't restrain himself further as his eyes never strayed from the girl he absolutely adored.

"..Kiss."

And he finally laid his lips onto your awaiting ones, meeting and never wanting to leave.


	9. Chapter 9

**always wears the necklace you once bought him**

_"Rin.." He heard your voice, turning when his eyes met your but that wasn't what caught his attention when you were standing right before him, here only for him, in a pink yukata that had floral patterns, your hair had been done up with a floral hair stick too, done a high bun that brought more attention to your neck and your collarbones. He stared, his mouth slightly agape before feeling heat and his cheeks burned when you smiled at him._

_"Ye-yeah.. Hey." His voice was low and slow as well and you couldn't help wondering why he was flustered, hoping it was because of the outfit your mother forced on you as soon as she heard you were going on a date to the summer festival. She was ecstatic and especially when she had seen how flustered and panicked you were about it, she knew you were serious about this boy._

_"Shall.. we go?"_

_Rin walked beside you and it was silent in the crowds of people between the both fo you, his cheeks were only a little pink now and he didn't make eye contact with you but you loved being by his side and you had been looking forward to tonight for so long, absolutely elated when remembering Rin asking you to be his date to the festival. You didn't know what he liked about you but you you were so happy because those feelings were requited by tenfold._

_"Oh!"_

_You stopped and as a result, Rin stopped too, "What's wrong?" He asked simply and you smiled at the sound of his voice, your eyes trained on the stall beside you as it peaked your interest. It was a shooting game, a toy rifle loaded with BB's stood on a stand that had to be aimed at the small stuffed toys on the wall a couple of metres behind the gun. You didn't hesitate, eyeing the prizes when you took some money from your pocket to hand it the man in the stall._

_"[Name], are you sure?"_

_You looked up at him and he was watching you with a raised brow, concern in his eyes when you smiled, "This is my thanks, for taking me here."_

_He didn't reply, slightly stunned when you took hold of the gun and aimed, your finger on the trigger and you fired._

"Shit!"

Turning around, you were pulled back suddenly when Rin's hand escaped your own as if you had burned him and his eyes were narrowed on his necklace, he held it as it slipped off of his neck when you knew age was catching up with it, nonetheless you couldn't help smiling when he frowned so deeply.

"Baby, I can't believe you still have that.." You sighed, smiling kindly and he refused to make eye contact when he almost looked like he was losing hope, upset that the necklace you got him was no longer useful.

"But.. you got me this on our first date.." His voice was quiet and saddened too, he looked down at the accessory annoyed and you thought of what you could do, "I can buy you another?" 

Thinking out loud, Rin looked at you quickly, his eyes wide before going back to normal, "No, it doesn't matter."

He turned away and you huffed, it seemed that he only wanted the one you got him that night from the shooting stall and you thought to yourself when he walked in front of you now, holding the broken necklace in his clenched fist as he moped before you and completely uncaring to the fact that you could see how upset he was about the necklace.

"Rin, give it to me."

"What? No."

You saw him turn to you, answering without hesitation and you huffed again, smiling at his childish behaviour when you grabbed his hand gently, prying his fingers loose to grab the string with the small pendant, "I'll give it to you tomorrow. I'm going to go now, love you." You departed as fast as you kissed him, pecking his cheek and leaving without giving him a moment to retaliate when you took the necklace and escaped.

"Here you go, I hope you like it."

Rin had came to pick you up from school, both of you were walking back to his dorm and he took the necklace as soon as he saw it hanging from a different coloured cord with a small shark pendant hanging from it. He turned around when you took it and unclasped it for him. You put it on and he turned, smiling at your confusion when you couldn't figure out why he liked it so much - why it meant so much to him.

"It's the first gift you got me, before we even started dating."

He pulled you onto his bed, sitting in front of him as he cuddled you, "I was so proud of you when you won it, everyone who watched was so shocked." He chuckled and kissed the back of your head and you smiled, "Every time I look at it I remember you in that pink yukata with your hair done up, you were so freaking gorgeous."

Flustered, you felt your cheeks burning and your cheeks hurt from the smile, "When I know it's on my neck.. I feel like you're with me.. ev-.."

"Rin, now isn't the time to get embarrassed." Scolding him, he repeated himself as he hid his blush in the nape of your neck, "I always feel like you're with me even when you're not. And I love you for it [Name].."


	10. Chapter 10

**you need to encourage him when he's insecure**

_"Rin, what's wrong?"_

Entering the swimming centre with Iwatobi, the swim team guided you towards the outside to the outdoor pool where there were visitors and other schools already present. There were judges and competitors and you walked up the stairs, following Gou when she took you to the other boys.

Haru nodded at you and Nagisa perked up at the sight of you, yelling your name before Rei quietened him down.You sat beside them and looked towards Samezuka, their students were loud and boisterous, full of cheers towards their boys swim team and you looked down to see a familiar boy, "Oh, Makoto is competing!"

"It's the fifty metre backstroke race now, he's versing Momotaro from Samezuka."

"He's good, isn't he?" Haru looked at you before looking down too, nodding subconsciously when his eyes drifted to the loudest team in the outdoor stadium. It was easy to spot his former friend as the latter was glaring at him. He stared without a care and nudged you. You had looked at Haru only to find him sighing in slight distaste at the sight of another.

Your eyes followed his line of vision and you met the salty stare of your beloved. Staring after a short moment, you smiled and then looked back down to see Makoto racing through the water. Missing the way Rin's eyes widened for a fraction of a second before narrowing, frowning when he half-heartedly cheered for his school.

Rin found that you didn't look at him as much s he would've liked. You kept watching the boys swimming in the water and you turned to say something to Gou or the other boys often as well. He wasn't exactly angry, just annoyed and maybe a little pissed off. He ultimately wanted you to go over to his side of the bleachers, standing beside him as you watched but he wouldn't voice such things because you would probably think it - _he_ \- was being ridiculous.

"Woah~ Momotarou's really good!" Nagisa exclaimed while leaning over the rails, his whole upper body was practically bent over at a ninety degree angle, "Yeah, I think my brother said people used to call him the Sea of Japan's Sea Otter, pretty cool , right?"

Gou expressed happily, chirping up at the smallers boy's interested grin as he nods, also impressed by the nickname that was given to the backstroke swimmer and you smile, chuckling at Rei's cautious expression when he pulled Nagisa back from the rail by his naked shoulder, "Nagisa, you're too careless!"

He went partially ignored and you laughed again, welcoming Makoto from the races when he watched his time with a bashful smile and Haru briefly congratulated him on coming second.

"[Name], good you could make it!" Makoto smiled kindly, you couldn't help melting at the sight and replied eagerly, "Of course, I couldn't skip out on cheering for my school and more importantly; you guys!"

"Rin?"

The event finished, it was a close call between Iwatobi and Samezuka but the latter had won, it was still an impressive day and the swimmers did their best - including Rin, he after all, swim for you.

The necklace you gave him reflected the light of the sun as he stood outside by his lonesome. You saw him, surprised it was him when you had been on the way out of the toilet. You didn't expect him to be outside and you really didn't think he'd be alone, he'd at least have Sousuke with him for company.

He turned slightly, giving you the view of the side of his face but you still saw how his eyes softened a little at the sight of you. You hoped he was happy to see you but he didn't invite you in for a heart-warming hug like you wanted, like you expected.

"Rin, what's wrong?" 

His brows furrowed and he silently cursed your ability to analyse his well being so well and so quickly, "nothing."

He answered gruffly and the way he turned away stubbornly like a child made your lips turn upwards. You stayed silent, approaching him when you hands gently touched his muscled back as to make sure he wasn't startled by your touch when you intended to comfort him.

"Baby~..."

Gentle, your soft tone eased him when his shoulders fell a little. At this, your hands slid further onto him until they met together on his upper torso while you had rested the side of your face on his back. You heard his heart, felt him breathe and smiled as you squeezed lightly once, twice.

"Go away.. back to your _Iwatobi_ buddies." He was aggressive in his attitude and you knew he'd say things he didn't mean because of how he felt. His pride as a swimmer was used to mask his insecurities and just like everyone else, he got upset about trivial things that mattered to him. You guessed he was jealous but stating that would do exactly what you didn't want to happen,

_'you're jealous?'_

_'Wh-what?! Of course not!'_

_then he'd proceed to quickly walk away with two slouched shoulders and a metaphorical, dark cloud hanging over him._

see?

"Rin, tell me what's going through your mind, I'll make it better as best as I can, alright?"

He huffed, breathing out loudly as you could tell he was considering it, his warmth spread to you and you breathed in his scent, still oozing with chlorine from the pool earlier but it was so comforting that you couldn't help rubbing him to ease him into telling you what was really wrong. 

As much as you wished he'd be the type to tell you right away, you didn't want him to change and besides, once he told you and you made it better (to the best of your abilities), he was sweet and apologetic and the most amazing boy you knew. You loved him.

"Don't wanna." 

He answered quickly again, his voice clouded with irritation but not towards you in particular but you knew he wasn't as upset as when you had first appeared to him. He was more relaxed by your presence and that thought alone led you to slowly move around him as he kept his feet still on the ground.

You slowly turned from his side, to his front and looked up at him, smiling when he glanced at you briefly to look away with furrowed brows, "what?" He spoke gruffly and it made you smile more, "you're so gorgeous, Rin."

Eyes wide, he coughed and turned away even more to make sure you didn't catch the redness that grew along his cheeks and almost reaching his ears, "Sorry, sorry - I got distracted." 

He huffed again at your apology.

"Tell me, what is it?"

You knew he'd ease into it now, "you're insecure?" Taking a guess, Rin stiffened succinctly and you nudged him, reaching a hand and another to grasp his jaw gently, making him look down at you as you cupped his face lovingly. Without a word, nor a smile on your face, you brought him down to you, lower than having his eyes equal to yours to place a tender kiss upon his forehead. His hair lightly blew with the cool breeze and you were elated to hear him sighing in relief, closing his eyes peacefully when you retracted,

"I know... you're _friends,"_ he said the word purposefully long and your head tilted a little though you didn't interrupt, "with them.. but I wanted you to look at me."

His reasoning was a little childish and you almost; and accidentally, grinned up at him when he straightened up a little though he didn't fully leave you. He still looked down at you when your fingers traced up him jaw to his cheekbones and the seriousness in his voice didn't bring on a blush you thought he'd be covered in after speaking so earnestly yet saying such a cute confession.

"If i'm not looking at you, I'm certainly thinking of you."

He seemed sceptical of your words, "It annoys me because of how much I think of you... Tell me you love me." Red orbs on you rounded and then, _then_ , he flush with pink,

"I-I love you, [Name].."

"Good. Don't worry about this, okay? I order you not to," He quirked a tiny simper and you continued even when he thought all was alright for now, "besides, I'll always be watching you from the stands at the Olympics. All the time, from before then and even after - I always look at you, Rin. So don't get upset, please?"

Defeatedly, he nodded and appeared slightly embarrassed or even ashamed of himself, "It makes me sad too, you know? If you're upset then I'm twice as sad! I know these small things worry you and you overthink them and sometimes my assurances doesn't reach you but I can't see my future without you in it so it's _all okay."_

Well now he definitely felt silly.

"You're the best, [Name]," He leaned in again, his lips resting on yours enough for him to breathe you in, nuzzling your forehead before placing his lips on yours in a chaste kiss as he then spoke up again, hoarse and drowning in affection, "I love you so much..." He breathed out and you smiled, nipping his lip playfully as he heard your heartfelt affirmation,

" _Mm~_ love you as well."


End file.
